Diesel fuel composition

Abstract

A splash-blendable, solubilized diesel fuel composition includes a diesel fuel, ethanol, a stabilizing additive and, optionally, an alkyl ester of a fatty acid and/or a co-solvent. The stabilizing additive is either a mixture of fatty acid alcohols, a polymeric material, or a combination of the mixture and the polymeric material.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A fuel composition comprising a solution of: 
 (a) diesel fuel;    (b) ethanol;    (c) a stabilizing additive selected from the group consisting of: 
 (i) a mixture comprising two different ethoxylated fatty alcohols each having a hydrocarbon chain length of about 9 to about 13 carbon atoms present in a molar ratio with respect to the other of about 1:3 to about 3:1, inclusive; 0 volume percent (vol.%) to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, based on the volume of the mixture, of a cetane booster; and 0 vol.% to less than about 5 vol.% of a demulsifier based on the volume of the mixture; and,  
 (ii) the reaction product of (1) a mixture of an ethoxylated alcohol and an amide, said ethoxylated alcohol comprising at least about 75 weight percent of at least one linear straight chain alcohol having a hydrocarbon chain length of about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms, and said amide being a substantially equimolar reaction product of an alcohol amine and an alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and, (2) an ethoxylated fatty acid or derivative thereof having a hydrocarbon chain length of about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms;  
   (d) optionally, an alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and,    (e) optionally, a cosolvent.    
     
     
         2 . The fuel composition of  claim 1 , wherein the alkyl ester of a fatty acid is present and is a methyl ester or an ethyl ester.  
     
     
         3 . The fuel composition of  claim 1 , wherein the diesel fuel has a cetane number of about 25 to about 50, inclusive.  
     
     
         4 . The fuel composition of  claim 3 , wherein an alkyl ester of a fatty acid is present and has a hydrocarbon chain length of about 7 to about 18 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         5 . The fuel composition of  claim 1 , wherein in the mixture (c)(i), the ethoxylated fatty alcohols have hydrocarbon chain lengths of about 9 to about 11 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         6 . The fuel composition of  claim 1 , wherein in the mixture (c)(i), the demulsifier is present in an amount of 0 vol.% to about 2 vol.%, inclusive, based on the volume of the mixture of (c)(i).  
     
     
         7 . The fuel composition of  claim 1 , wherein the cetane booster is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexylnitrate, tertiary butyl peroxide, diethylene glycol methyl ether, cyclohexanol, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The fuel composition of  claim 1  comprising: 
 (a) about 60 vol.% to about 95 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 3 vol.% to about 18 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 0.5 vol.% to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, of a stabilizing additive;  
 (d) 0 vol.% to about 5.5 vol.%, inclusive, of an alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and  
 (e) 0 vol.% to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, of the cosolvent.  
 
     
     
         9 . The fuel composition of  claim 8  comprising: 
 (a) about 72 vol.% to about 89 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 10 vol.% to about 18 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 0.5 vol.% to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, of said additive, the additive being a mixture comprising two different ethoxylated fatty alcohols having a hydrocarbon chain length of about 9 to about 13 carbon atoms present in a molar ratio of with respect to the other of about 1:3 to about 3:1, inclusive; 0 vol.% to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, based on the volume of the mixture, of a cetane booster; and less than about 5 vol.% of a demulsifier based on the volume of the mixture; and,  
 (d) about 0.1 vol.% to about 0.2 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid.  
 
     
     
         10 . The fuel composition of  claim 9  comprising: 
 (a) about 78.5 vol.% to about 86 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 13 vol.% to about 16 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 0.7 vol.% to about 5.35 vol.%, inclusive, of the additive; and, (d) about 0.13 vol.% to about 0.16 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid.  
 
     
     
         11 . The fuel composition of  claim 10  comprising: 
 (a) about 82.6 vol.% to about 85 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 14 vol.% to about 15 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 1.2 vol.% to about 2.25 vol.%, inclusive, of the additive; and,  
 (d) about 0.14 vol.% to about 0.15 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid.  
 
     
     
         12 . The fuel composition of  claim 8  comprising: 
 (a) about 60 vol.% to about 84 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 10 vol.% to about 18 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 0.5 vol.% to about 7.5 vol.%, inclusive, of the additive;  
 (d) about 1.5 vol.% to about 4.5 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and,  
 (e) about 4 vol.% to about 10 vol.%, inclusive, of the co-solvent.  
 
     
     
         13 . The fuel composition of  claim 12  comprising: 
 (a) about 67 vol.% to about 78.5 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 13 vol.% to about 16 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 1 vol.% to about 6 vol.%, inclusive, of the additive;  
 (d) about 1.5 vol.% to about 3 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and,  
 (e) about 6vol.% to about 8 vol.%, inclusive, of the co-solvent.  
 
     
     
         14 . The fuel composition of  claim 13  comprising: 
 (a) about 69 vol.% to about 74.6 vol.%, inclusive, diesel fuel;  
 (b) about 14 vol.% to about 15 vol.%, inclusive, ethanol;  
 (c) about 3 vol.% to about 6 vol.%, inclusive, of the additive;  
 (d) about 1.5 vol.% to about 2.5 vol.%, inclusive, of the alkyl ester of a fatty acid; and,  
 (e) about 6.9 vol.% to about 7.5 vol.%, inclusive, of the co-solvent.